The present invention relates to an opening and closing apparatus that opens and closes an opening with an opening and closing body actuated by drive force, for example, of a motor.
Some vehicles such as automobiles open and close a door opening (opening) on a side by sliding a door panel (opening and closing body). Typically, such a vehicle has a power sliding door apparatus (opening and closing apparatus) for sliding the door panel by drive power, for example, of a motor. Some power sliding door apparatuses have detecting means for detecting whether an object exists between the edge of the door opening and the door panel to prevent an object from being caught between the door opening edge and the door panel. For example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2007-163175 discloses detecting means that includes a sensor body arranged along the front edge of a door panel. Based on changes in the capacitance of the sensor body, the detecting means detects that an object is close to the sensor body. If the detecting means detects that an object is close to the sensor body when the door panel is closing, the power sliding door apparatus stops or reverses the movement of the door panel.
Some vehicles that are equipped with a power sliding door apparatus have a touch sensor for commanding the door panel to open. The touch sensor includes a touch sensing electrode. The touch sensor detects whether an object (for example, a part of a human body) has contacted the touch sensing electrode based on changes in the capacitance of the touch sensing electrode. The touch sensing electrode is attached, for example, to a front door panel located in front of a sliding door panel so as to be exposed to the outside. A power sliding door apparatus with a touch sensor causes a door panel to open when the touch sensor detects that on object contacts a touch sensing electrode.
However, in a vehicle having a detecting means and a touch sensor as described above, the touch sensor and the touch sensing electrode need to be separately installed in the vehicle. This increases the number of assembly steps and complicates the assembly.
Accordingly, it is an objective of the present invention to reduce the number of assembly steps of an opening and closing apparatus that has a function to prevent an object from being accidently caught and a function to cause an opening and closing body to start opening based on contact of an object.
To achieve the foregoing objective and in accordance with one aspect of the present invention, an opening and closing apparatus including an opening and closing body, a drive portion, a detecting device, and a control portion is provided. The opening and closing body opens and closes an opening formed in an opened and closed body. The drive portion actuates the opening and closing body. The detecting device has a sensor portion for detecting the capacitance between the sensor portion and an object that is in the proximity of the sensor portion or is contacting the sensor portion. The sensor portion is located at a closing end of the opening and closing body that is on the leading side when the opening and closing body is being closed. At least part of the sensor portion is exposed to the outside of the opened and closed body when the opening is fully closed by the opening and closing body. The detecting device detects whether or not the object is in the proximity of the sensor portion or is contacting the sensor portion based on the capacitance detected by the sensor portion. The control portion controls the drive portion. If the detecting device detects contact of the object with the sensor portion when the opening and closing body is not being moved, the control portion controls the drive portion to start opening the opening and closing body. If the detecting device detects that the object is in the proximity of the sensor portion when the opening and closing body is being closed, the control portion controls the drive portion to stop or reverse the movement of the opening and closing body.